Article of jewelry and method of manufacture

ABSTRACT

A method and system for creating an article of jewelry that contains an anatomical image using a digital image of an anatomical body part such as a fingerprint, handprint, footprint, or the like to create a computer numeric controlled (CNC) software program that drives a machine for producing a wax model of the anatomical image. The wax model is used in a lost wax casting process to create a casting that is used in an article of jewelry. The present invention further provides an article of jewelry containing a novel bail assembly for attaching the article of jewelry to a chain or the like in an aesthetically pleasing manner that hides the attachment hole of the casting.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S.Provisional patent application Serial No. U.S. Ser. No. 60/641,792 filedon Jan. 6, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to articles of jewelry and methods ofmanufacturing articles of jewelry, and more particularly to an articleof jewelry and a method of manufacturing an article of jewelry where thearticle of jewelry bears a reproduction of an anatomical part such as afingerprint, a handprint, a footprint, or the like.

2. Description of the Related Art

The related art has disclosed various articles of jewelry that areornamented with representations of fingerprints. Reference may be had,e.g., to U.S. Pat. No. 964,499 that discloses an impressionable mouldused to create a casting of a fingerprint image. Other patents, forexample, German Patent 2903728, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,472, use hot wax toobtain the impression of a fingerprint for the purpose of creating ametal casting. U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,255 also uses wax to obtain theimpression of a fingerprint, but improves upon the previous art by usinga soft wax bonded to a hard wax substrate to obtain an impression of afingerprint. U.S. Design Pat. No. 407,660 discloses an ornamental designfor an article of jewelry with a textured surface in the form of afingerprint.

The methods disclosed in the related art create a mirror image waximpression of a fingerprint that are capable of creating only a singlecasting per impression. Further, the methods previously disclosed in therelated art subject an individual to direct contact with wax that mayeither create a residue on the individual's finger, or may expose theindividual to hot wax and the discomfort associated with contacting hotwax. This discomfort is of particular concern to individuals such asyoung children or the elderly. In addition, often times it may bedesirable to create an anatomical reproduction of a deceased familymember's fingerprint, footprint, or handprint in an article of jewelry.The methods of the related art are limited in their ability to reproduceadditional copies of a deceased individual's fingerprint or the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method ofmanufacturing an article of jewelry that creates a true reproduction ofan anatomical part such as a fingerprint, footprint, handprint, or thelike. It is another object of the present invention to provide a methodof manufacturing an article of jewelry that can produce multiplecastings of an image of an anatomical part from a single impression ofthat anatomical part. It is a further object of the present invention toprovide a method of manufacturing an article of jewelry that creates atrue and accurate reproduction of a fingerprint that is of the samegeneral shape as the fingerprint itself, e.g., an oval reproduction ofsaid fingerprint. It is still another object of the present invention toprovide an article of jewelry that contains a novel bail assembly forattaching the article of jewelry to a chain or the like in anaesthetically pleasing manner that hides an attachment hole of thearticle of jewelry.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method forcreating an article of jewelry that contains an anatomical image, themethod comprising the steps of taking a print of an anatomical part,creating a digital image file by taking a digital photograph of theprint of an anatomical part, converting the digital image file to acomputer numeric control machine language program, loading the computernumeric control machine language program on a computer numeric controlmachine, placing a sheet of machinable wax proximate the computernumeric control machine, executing the computer numeric control machinelanguage program on the computer numeric control machine, cutting a waxmodel of an anatomical image in the sheet of machinable wax using thecomputer numeric control machine, removing the anatomical image from thesheet of machinable wax, creating a mould from the wax model of theanatomical image, using the mould to create a casting from the wax modelof the anatomical image, and attaching a finding to the casting.

The foregoing paragraph has been provided by way of introduction, and isnot intended to limit the scope of the following claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described by reference to the following drawings,in which like numerals refer to like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wax jig and a sheet of machinable wax;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of a wax jig with a sheet of machinable waxplaced in the jig;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a wax jig and a sheet of machinable waxshowing wax punches and wax alignment sprues;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a wax jig with a sheet of machinable waxplaced in the jig;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a vacuum table;

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of a CNC machine with the vacuum tableinstalled;

FIG. 7 is another front elevation view of a CNC machine;

FIG. 8 is a front plan view of an article of jewelry portraying theimage of a fingerprint;

FIG. 9 is a back plan view of an article of jewelry showing a castinscription;

FIG. 10 is a front plan view of an article of jewelry portraying animage of a footprint;

FIG. 11 is a front plan view of an article of jewelry portraying animage of a handprint;

FIG. 12 is a front plan view of a tie tack portraying an image of afingerprint;

FIG. 13 is a side elevation view of a bail showing a unique pin andsocket assembly;

FIG. 14 is a process diagram showing a method of creating CNC machinecode used to manufacture an article of jewelry; and

FIG. 15 is a process diagram showing a method of manufacture of anarticle of jewelry.

The present invention will be described in connection with a preferredembodiment, however, it will be understood that there is no intent tolimit the invention to the embodiment described. On the contrary, theintent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents asmay be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as definedby the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightswhatsoever.

For a general understanding of the present invention, reference is madeto the drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals have been usedthroughout to designate identical elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wax jig and a sheet of machinable wax.Referring to FIG. 1, a wax jig 2 is shown. The wax jig 2 is made from arigid material such as aluminum using standard machining and fabricationtechniques. The wax jig 2 is used to prepare a sheet of machinable wax 8for machining and cutting an image or a plurality of images of ananatomical part in the sheet of machinable wax 8. The wax jig 2 may beassembled from several flat elements and assembled using hardware suchas bolts 6. The wax jig 2 contains a wax jig slot 10 to receive a sheetof machinable wax 8. The wax jig 2 may contain punch bit holes 4 thatare used to retain a wax punch (not shown) that is used to cut alignmentholes (not shown) in the sheet of machinable wax 8. The purpose of thealignment holes, as will be further described in this specification, isto align and prevent motion of the sheet of machinable wax 8 while it isundergoing machining and cutting operations.

FIG. 2 shows a bottom plan view of the wax jig 2 with a sheet ofmachinable wax 8 placed in the jig. Punch bit holes 4 are shown. Thepurpose of the punch bit holes is to retain and guide wax punches asthey are pushed through the sheet of machinable wax 8, creating spruesin the sheet of machinable wax 8 that are used to align the sheet ofmachinable wax in subsequent machining operations that will be describedlater in this specification. Wax punches are illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a wax jig 2 and a sheet of machinablewax 8 showing the wax punches 12 removed from the punch bit holes 4. Thewax punches 12 in some embodiments of the present invention are made ofbrass and stainless steel, although other metals and plastics would workequally as well. The wax punches 12 contain a sharp wax punch bit 16that is used to cut alignment sprues 18 in the sheet of machinable wax8. In use, the sheet of machinable wax 8 is inserted in the wax jig slot10. The wax punch bits 16 are inserted into the punch bit holes 4 withsufficient force to cut alignment sprues 18 in the sheet of machinablewax 8. The insertion of the wax punch bits 16 into the punch bit holes 4and through the sheet of machinable wax 8 may be performed by hand, or,in some embodiments of the present invention, the insertion of the waxpunch bits 16 into the punch bit holes 4 and through the sheet ofmachinable wax 8 may be performed with the assistance of a mechanical orelectrical device such as a hydraulic cylinder or a solenoid. Theprimary purpose of the wax jig 2 is to position the alignment sprues 18and rigidly retain the sheet of machinable wax 8 while the wax punchbits 16 are pushed through the sheet of machinable wax 8.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a top plan view of a wax jig with a sheet ofmachinable wax placed in the wax jig is shown. In FIG. 4, wax punches 12are clearly visible, and are inserted in the punch bit holes 4 that areshown previously in FIGS. 1 and 2. While a sheet of machinable wax isplaced in the wax jig 2, the wax punches 12 are pushed through the punchbit holes 4 to cut alignment sprues in the sheet of machinable wax 8 toassist in subsequent machining operations. FIG. 4 also shows holes 14that are used to assemble the wax jig 2 using hardware such as bolts 6that are shown previously in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In manufacturing the article of jewelry, once the sheet of machinablewax 8 is punched to create alignment sprues 18, the sheet of machinablewax 8 is now ready to be machined and cut as will be further describedby way of FIGS. 5, 6, and 7.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a perspective view of a vacuum table is shown.The primary purpose of the vacuum table 50 is to retain the sheet ofmachinable wax 8 (not shown in FIG. 5, see FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4) whilesubsequent machining operations are performed, as will be describedlater in this specification. Using a sheet of machinable wax 8 that hasbeen prepared with alignment sprues 18 as previously described (notshown in FIG. 5, refer to FIG. 3), the sheet of machinable wax 8 (notshown) is placed on the vacuum table 50. The alignment sprues 18 of theprepared sheet of machinable wax 8 (not shown) are placed over thealignment stubs 51, the result of this operation being that the sheet ofmachinable wax 8 is properly aligned on the vacuum table 50. Properalignment refers to the correct placement of the sheet of machinable waxwith respect to subsequent machining operations that will be describedlater in this specification. Proper alignment refers to placement of thesheet of machinable wax 8 (not shown) in all three dimensions, includingadequate physical contact between the sheet of machinable wax 8 (notshown) and the gasket 52 to provide for a vacuum seal. The vacuum table50 is supplied with vacuum through a series of channels (not shown)within the vacuum table 50. The series of channels are supplied vacuumthrough a vacuum line 58 that is connected to the vacuum table 50 with avacuum connector 60. Each of the channels within the vacuum table 50terminate at a vacuum hole 54. In some embodiments of the presentinvention, each vacuum hole 54 may be located below a location on themachinable wax sheet 8 where a wax workpiece will be cut in subsequentmachining operations. A wax workpiece is defined as a representativeimage of an article of jewelry to be used in a lost wax castingoperation that is defined later in this specification, and is commonlyknown to those skilled in the art. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, there are twenty vacuum holes 54. More or less vacuum holes54 may be used depending on the quantity of workpieces to be cut fromthe machinable wax sheet 8. Surrounding each vacuum hole 54 may be anoutline 56 of the workpiece to be cut from the machinable wax sheet 8.

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of a computer-numeric controlled (CNC)machine 64 with the vacuum table 50 installed. The machinable wax sheet8 is shown in position on the vacuum table 50. The vacuum table 50 isattached to an X-Y table 70. The X-Y table 70 allows for translation andalignment in two dimensions (the X-axis and the Y-axis) in relation to acomputer-numeric controlled (CNC) cutter head 62. As is known to thoseskilled in the art, the computer-numeric controlled (CNC) machine movesa computer-numeric controlled (CNC) cutter head 62 in response to acomputer program. The computer-numeric controlled (CNC) cutter head 62contains a rotating bit (not shown), and moves in all three dimensionsin response to control logic contained either within thecomputer-numeric controlled (CNC) machine 64 or within an externalcomputer connected to the computer-numeric controlled (CNC) machine 64.A computer monitor 66 may be used to convey information about themachining operation to the operator of the computer-numeric controlled(CNC) machine 64. A positioning readout 68 may also be used to assistwith the manufacturing process.

The CNC machine 64 cuts multiple wax workpieces that are used in asubsequent lost wax casting process. To create the wax workpieces, afingerprint or other image is taken using a technique such as placingthe finger on a sheet of carbon paper, removing the finger from thecarbon paper, and impressing the finger upon a sheet of paper. Thefingerprint or other image is then photographed using a digital camerathat is set up to take close range images. Other images may includefootprints, handprints, noseprints, and the like. The digital image ofthe fingerprint or other image is then stored in a digital file formatsuch as a jpeg file format or other file format known to those skilledin the art. The digital file may then be further processed and enhancedon a computer to obtain desired properties such as shading, depth, andthe like. The digital file is later converted to a computer languagethat is used to control a CNC machine, such as G code. This techniqueeliminates the risk of hot wax burns, creates a direct image (not amirror image) of the fingerprint or other image, and allows for thecreation of multiple wax workpieces and subsequently multiple lost waxcastings. The image can also be archived. The backside of the waxworkpiece may also contain letters and numbers such as a person's name,date of birth, and the like. The letters and numbers may be cast bycreating a digital image of the inscription, storing the digital imagein a digital file format such as a jpeg format, and converting thedigital file to a computer language that is used to control a CNCmachine, such as G code. Other embodiments of the present invention mayuse laser etching equipment in place of the CNC machine, as would beknown to those skilled in the art.

Referring again to FIG. 6, to create the wax workpieces from themachinable wax sheet 8, the machinable wax sheet 8 is installed on thevacuum table 50 using the alignment sprues 18 and the alignment stubs51. The vacuum is applied through the attached vacuum line 58, and theCNC machine 64 is operated with the appropriate machine controlsoftware. The X-Y table 70 moves in accordance with the machine controlsoftware to cut one side of the wax workpieces. Once the CNC cutting iscomplete, the machinable wax sheet 8 is removed from the vacuum table50, flipped over, and reinstalled on the vacuum table 50 in such amanner as to allow the second side of the wax workpiece to be cut by theCNC cutter head 62. The proper alignment of the machinable wax sheet 8and subsequent wax workpieces is accomplished through the use of thealignment sprues 18 and the alignment stubs 51 in conjunction withproper operator procedures.

Once the wax workpieces are cut from the machinable wax sheet 8, eachmachined wax workpiece is invested and cast using the age-old techniqueof lost wax casting. The casting metal may be gold, silver, platinum, analloy, or the like. The finished casting may be fabricated into anecklace, bracelet, ring, or other article of jewelry. The article ofjewelry may be decorated with faceted stones, cabochons, or otherdecorative items that are known to those skilled in the art.

FIG. 7 provides another front elevation view of a CNC machine showing inmore detail the cutter head 62 and the machinable wax sheet 8 that is inplace for machining operations.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a front plan view of an article of jewelryportraying the image of a fingerprint is shown. The article of jewelryis a pendant 80, and was manufactured using an inventive method that isone object of the present invention. The pendant 80 was cast with afingerprint image 82. Other anatomical images such as, but not limitedto, footprints, handprints, noseprints, and the like, may also be usedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.The pendant further contains a bail hole 84. The bail hole 84 contains anovel bail 86 that is another object of the present invention, and isshown in more detail in FIG. 13. The bail 86 provides an attachmentpoint for securing the pendant 80 to a chain 88. The bail 86 may furtherbe decorated with faceted stones, cabochons, or other items known tothose skilled in the art.

Referring to FIG. 9, a back plan view of an article of jewelry is shown.The article of jewelry was manufactured using an inventive method thatis an object of the present invention. The back plan view of the articleof jewelry may, in one embodiment, contain an inscription 90. Theinscription 90 may be cast using the lost wax method of casting.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a front plan view of a pendant 100 is shownwith an image of a footprint 102. The footprint image 102 was reduced insize using a digital photographic technique, and was manufactured usingan inventive method that is an object of the present invention. Thependant 100 was cast with a footprint image 102. The pendant furthercontains a bail hole 104. The bail hole 104 contains a novel bail 106that is another object of the present invention, and is shown in moredetail in FIG. 13. The bail 106 provides an attachment point forsecuring the pendant 100 to a chain 88. The bail 106 may further bedecorated with a faceted stone setting 108, cabochons, or other itemsknown to those skilled in the art. The back of the pendant 100 maycontain an inscription such as shown in FIG. 9.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a front plan view of a pendant 200 is shownwith an image of a handprint 202. The handprint image 202 was reduced insize using a digital photographic technique, and was manufactured usingan inventive method that is an object of the present invention. Thependant 200 was cast with a handprint image 202. The pendant furthercontains a bail hole 204. The bail hole 204 contains a novel bail 206that is another object of the present invention, and is shown in moredetail in FIG. 13. The bail 206 provides an attachment point forsecuring the pendant 200 to a chain 88. The bail 206 may further bedecorated with a faceted stone, cabochons, or other items known to thoseskilled in the art. The back of the pendant 200 may contain aninscription such as shown in FIG. 9.

Referring to FIG. 12, a front plan view of a tie tack 300 portraying animage of a fingerprint 302 is shown. The tie tack 300 was manufacturedusing an inventive method that is an object of the present invention. Inother embodiments, the tie tack 300 may portray an image of a footprint,a handprint, or the like.

The pendants 80, 100, and 200 previously described and illustrated inFIGS. 8 and 9, 10, and 11 respectively use a novel bail to attach thecast article of jewelry to a chain. The bail 86, 106, and 206 alsoillustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, 10, and 11 respectively are designed toboth provide a secure attachment point of the article of jewelry to achain and to hide the bail hole 84, 104 and 204 as shown in FIGS. 8 and9, 10, and 11 respectively. The bail holes 84, 104, and 204 detract fromthe aesthetically pleasing qualities of the article of jewelry.

Referring to FIG. 13, a bail 106 is shown. The bail 106 is manufacturedusing traditional casting techniques for creating jewelry findings thatare known to those skilled in the art. In some embodiments of thepresent invention, the bail 106 may contain a faceted stone setting 110,a cabochon, or other decorative item known to those skilled in the art.The bail 106 contains a pin 112 and a hole 114. To attach the bail 106to an article of jewelry, the pin 112 is inserted through the bail hole84, 104 or 204. The bail 106 is then compressed using a jeweler's pliersor similar tool in a direction indicated as 116 in FIG. 13. Once thebail 106 is compressed such that the pin 112 is inserted into the hole114, a TIG welder, jeweler's soldering torch, laser welder, or the likeis used to permanently attach the pin 112 into the hole 114.

Referring now to FIG. 14, a process diagram 1400 showing a method ofcreating CNC machine code used to manufacture an article of jewelry isshown. In step 1401, an image of an anatomical part is taken using atechnique such as that used for taking fingerprints where an inked orinkless pad is used to contact a finger, and the finger is then pressedonto a paper. The resulting image is that of a fingerprint. Images offootprints may be rendered using similar techniques. Footprints ofnewborns are often taken in hospitals shortly after birth foridentification purposes. The rendered image of the anatomical part fromstep 1401 is then photographed in step 1403 using a digital camera. Theresulting digital image file from step 1403 is then transferred to acomputer in step 1405 using techniques commonly known to those skilledin the art. In step 1407, the digital image file of step 1405 may bepre-processed and enhanced using digital photography software to provideimproved image quality. In step 1409, the digital image file or filesare archived and stored on computer media for future use. In step 1411,a message or an additional image file is created for use on the backside of the resulting article of jewelry. In step 1413, the digitalimage file or files are converted to computer numeric controlled machinelanguage such as G code using commercially available software conversionprograms such as a jpeg to G code converter. In step 1415, wax machiningand subsequent casting is performed as described in further detail byway of FIG. 15.

Referring now to FIG. 15, a process diagram of a method of manufactureaccording to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. In step1501, a machinable wax sheet is inserted into a wax jig. In step 1501,the machinable wax sheet is cut with alignment sprues using a wax punchpushed through holes in the wax jig. In step 1505, the machinable waxsheet is removed from the wax jig. In step 1507, the machinable waxsheet is placed on a vacuum table, and in step 1509 the machinable waxsheet is aligned on the vacuum table. In step 1511, the operator ensuresthat the wax sheet is adequately seated on a gasket to allow foradequate vacuum on the wax sheet. In step 1513, vacuum is applied to thevacuum table and the wax sheet is firmly retained. In step 1515, acomputer numerical controlled routine is executed to cut messages intothe wax sheet. In step 1517, an inspection is made to ensure that themessages have been properly cut into the wax sheet. This inspection maybe performed manually, or may be performed using imaging or machinevision inspection techniques known to those skilled in the art. If themessages are properly cut into the wax sheet, the wax sheet is removedfrom the vacuum table in step 1519 and the wax sheet is flipped over toallow for machining on the back side of the wax sheet. If the messagesare not properly cut from the wax sheet, the wax sheet is discarded, anda new wax sheet is inserted into the wax jig and the process is startedover. Prior to the restart of the process, an operator or otherindividual may wish to determine why the message was not properlymachined in the wax sheet, allowing for necessary corrections to ensurethat the message will be properly cut. Upon satisfactory cutting of amessage in step 1519, and removal of the wax sheet and flipping of thewax sheet in 1519, the wax sheet is again aligned on the alignment stubsof the vacuum table in step 1521. In step 1523, the operator ensuresthat the wax sheet is adequately seated on a gasket to allow for vacuumon the wax sheet that is sufficient to retain the wax sheet duringmachining operations. In step 1525, vacuum is applied to the vacuumtable and the wax sheet is firmly retained. In step 1527, a computernumerical controlled routine is executed to cut images of an anatomicalpart into the wax sheet. In step 1529, an inspection is made to ensurethat the images of an anatomical part have been properly cut into thewax sheet. This inspection may be performed manually, or may beperformed using imaging or machine vision inspection techniques known tothose skilled in the art. If the images of an anatomical part areproperly cut into the wax sheet, in step 1531 a computer numericcontrolled routine is executed to cut wax workpieces from the wax sheet.In step 1533, the wax workpieces are cast using techniques known tothose skilled in the art. In step 1535, the castings are desprued,polished and finished. Lastly, in step 1537, findings are attached tothe finished casting. Findings may include rings, bails, posts, prongs,gemstones, semi-precious stones, cabochons, chains, links, bezels, andthe like. In one preferred method of the present invention, findingsinclude the novel bail 106 illustrated in FIG. 13.

It is, therefore, apparent that there has been provided, in accordancewith the various objects of the present invention, an article of jewelryand a method of manufacturing an article of jewelry. While the variousobjects of this invention have been described in conjunction withpreferred embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives,modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in theart. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives,modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scopeof the appended claims.

1. A method for creating an article of jewelry that contains ananatomical image, the method comprising the steps of: a.) taking a printof an anatomical part; b.) creating a digital image file by taking adigital photograph of the print of an anatomical part; c.) convertingthe digital image file to a computer numeric control machine languageprogram; d.) loading the computer numeric control machine languageprogram on a computer numeric control machine; e.) placing a sheet ofmachinable wax proximate the computer numeric control machine; f.)executing the computer numeric control machine language program on thecomputer numeric control machine; g.) cutting a wax model of ananatomical image in the sheet of machinable wax using the computernumeric control machine; h.) removing the anatomical image from thesheet of machinable wax; i.) creating a mould from the wax model of theanatomical image; j.) using the mould to create a casting from the waxmodel of the anatomical image; and k.) attaching a finding to thecasting.
 2. The method for creating an article of jewelry that containsan anatomical image as recited in claim 1 wherein the method furthercomprises the step of despruing, polishing and finishing the casting ofthe anatomical image.
 3. The method for creating an article of jewelrythat contains an anatomical image as recited in claim 1 wherein theanatomical image is a fingerprint.
 4. The method for creating an articleof jewelry that contains an anatomical image as recited in claim 1wherein the anatomical image is a footprint.
 5. The method for creatingan article of jewelry that contains an anatomical image as recited inclaim 1 wherein the anatomical image is a handprint.
 6. The method forcreating an article of jewelry that contains an anatomical image asrecited in claim 1 wherein the anatomical image is a noseprint.
 7. Anarticle of jewelry containing an anatomical image, the article ofjewelry created according to the method of claim
 1. 8. A system forcreating an article of jewelry that contains an anatomical image, thesystem comprising: a.) a digital image file of an anatomical image; b.)a software program to convert the digital image file of an anatomicalimage to a computer numeric control machine language program; c.) acomputer numeric control machine language program created from thesoftware program; d.) a computer numeric control machine; e.) a jig tosecure a sheet of machinable wax while the computer numeric controlmachine cuts a wax model of the anatomical image; f.) a wax model of theanatomical image made with the computer numeric control machine; and g.)means for metal casting the wax model of the anatomical image.
 9. Thesystem for creating an article of jewelry as recited in claim 8 whereinthe computer numeric control machine includes a rotary cutter.
 10. Thesystem for creating an article of jewelry as recited in claim 8 whereinthe computer numeric control machine includes a laser.
 11. The systemfor creating an article of jewelry as recited in claim 8 wherein theanatomical image is a fingerprint.
 12. The system for creating anarticle of jewelry as recited in claim 8 wherein the anatomical image isa footprint.
 13. The system for creating an article of jewelry asrecited in claim 8 wherein the anatomical image is a handprint.
 14. Thesystem for creating an article of jewelry as recited in claim 8 whereinthe anatomical image is a noseprint.
 15. An article of jewelrycomprising: a.) an anatomical image; b.) a hole adjacent to theanatomical image; and c.) a bail to hide the hole, the bail containing apin that is placed through the hole.
 16. The article of jewelry of claim15 wherein the anatomical image is a fingerprint.
 17. The article ofjewelry of claim 15 wherein the anatomical image is a footprint.
 18. Thearticle of jewelry of claim 15 wherein the anatomical image is ahandprint.
 19. The article of jewelry of claim 15 wherein the anatomicalimage is a noseprint.
 20. The article of jewelry of claim 15 furthercomprising a stone attached to said bail.
 21. The article of jewelry ofclaim 15 further comprising an inscription.